1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the organizing, storing, and carrying of CLECO type and spring clamp fasteners and pliers when working with sheet materials such as, but not limited to, aluminum skins, extrusions, formed frames, longerons and stringers used to manufacture or repair aircrafts, space crafts and other aerodynamic vessels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
CLECO type fasteners, pliers and spring clamp fasteners (“the tools”) are often used in the aerospace industry to temporarily secure sheet metal parts, such as aluminum, to the fuselage or other components of an aircraft or space craft's outer-covering. These CLECO type and spring clamp fasteners are small objects and are used in large quantities for most manufacturing and repair related procedures. The CLECO type fasteners are available in many sizes, but the four most common are numbered and color-coded as follows: size #40 is silver, size #30 is copper, size #21 is black and size #10 is gold. Spring clamp fasteners have two variations—long-nosed clamp and a short-nosed clamp. Numerous plier types exist, but the most common is the wedgelock plier. All fastener-related pliers function to allow the user to engage the fasteners and temporarily attach them to the materials.
It is important for the user to keep strict controls over all of the tools during use as they have the potential to cause significant damage to the aircraft or spacecraft in flight if left behind. This type of damage is known as Foreign Object Damage (“FOD”), and is a major safety concern that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to address.
Currently, the best practice for monitoring or keeping inventory of CLECO type fasteners is by utilizing a portable CLECO type fastener dispenser. Such dispensers can only organize one size of the fasteners per unit and do not address the use of spring clamp fasteners, which are typically used on jobs with CLECO type fasteners, or pliers, which are needed to operate both the CLECO type and spring clamp fasteners. For this reason, a majority of users do not use portable CLECO type fastener dispensers. Instead, they store their various CLECO type and spring clamp fasteners together, co-mingled in zippered bags or toolboxes with pliers. This does not allow the user to quickly take inventory of the tools before, during or after use and increases the likelihood of FOD. Additionally, the user often struggles to maintain organization of the fasteners by size and variation and is slowed by having to laboriously search through bags or compartments to find a size or variation that is suitable.
Ideally, a mechanic needs a lightweight fastener organizer, manufactured at a modest expense, that properly stores and displays the fasteners and pliers for optimal inventory management and thus, diminishes the likelihood of FOD. Therefore, a need exists for such a fastener and plier organizer, storage and carry system to avoid the aforementioned problems.